The City of Davao: De Facto Capital of Mindanao (Tagalog: Lungsod ng Dabaw; Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Dabaw) is one of the most important cities in the Philippines and the chief city of the island of Mindanao. It is the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area, occupying an area of 2,444 square kilometers. Its international airport and seaport are among the busiest cargo hubs in the southern Philippines. Davao City is also one of several cities in the Philippines that are independent of any province, though it is usually grouped with Davao del Sur for statistical purposes. The city is also the regional center for Davao Region (Region XI). Davao City has a population of 1,725,355 people (2005 estimate) in 240,057 households (2000 census). It has about 2.5 million people in daylight hours.[citation needed]
In recent years, the sprawling urban metropolis has emerged as the business, investment and tourism hub for southern Philippines. The city boasts of some of the finest beaches and mountain resorts in the country, and proximity to the Philippines’ most captivating diving spots as well as its highest peak, Mount Apo.
History
Local historians claim that the word davao came from the phonetic blending of the word of three Bagobo subgroups when referring to Davao River, an essential waterway which empties itself into Davao Gulf near the city. The aboriginal Obos who inhabit the hinterlands of the region called the river, Davoh; the Clatta or Guiangans called it Duhwow, or Davau, and the Tagabawa Bagobos, Dabu. To the Obos, the word davoh also means a place "beyond the high grounds", alluding to the settlements located at the mouth of Davao River which were surrounded by high rolling hills. When asked where they were going, the usual reply is davoh, while pointing towards the direction of the town. Duhwow also refers to a trading settlement where they barter their forest goods in exchange for salt or other commodities.
Spanish influence was hardly felt in the Davao until 1848, when an expedition led by Don Jose Oyanguren came to establish a Christian settlement in an area of mangrove swamps that is now Bolton Riverside. Davao was then ruled by a Moro chieftain, Datu Bago, who held his settlement at the banks of Davao River (once called Tagloc River by the Bagobos). After Uyanguren defeated Datu Bago, he renamed the region Nueva Guipozcoa, in honor of his home in Spain, and became its first governor. Oyanguren's efforts to develop the area, however, did not prosper.
A few years after the American forces landed in 1900, private farm ownership grew and transportation and communication facilities were improved, thus paving the way for the region's economic growth.
A Japanese entrepreneur named Kichisaburo Ohta was granted permission to exploit vast territories which he transformed into abacá and coconut plantations. The first wave of Japanese plantation workers came onto its shores in 1903, creating a Little Japan. They had their own school, newspapers, an embassy, and even a Shinto Shrine. On the whole, they established extensive abaca plantations around the shores of Davao Gulf and developed large-scale commercial interests such as copra, timber, fishing and import-export trading. Filipinos learned the techniques of improved cultivation from the Japanese so that ultimately, agriculture became the lifeblood of the province's economic prosperity.
Davao was formally inaugurated as a chartered city on March 1, 1937 by President Manuel L. Quezon. Thirty years later, Davao was subdivided into three independent provinces, namely Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental. Over the years, Davao has become an ethnic melting pot as it continues to draw migrants from all over the country, lured by the prospects of striking it rich in the country's third largest city.
Geography
The total land area of Davao City is 2,443.61 square kilometers. In terms of land area, it is considered as one of the largest cities in the world. It is divided into 3 congressional districts, which are further divided into 11 administrative districts containing a total of 184 barangays.
Almost 50% of its total land area is classified as timberland or forest. Agriculture utilizes about 43%. This is reflective of the fact that agriculture is still the largest economic sector. Big plantations that produce banana, pineapple, coffee, and coconut eat up a large chunk of the total land area.
Presently, built-up areas used for residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial purposes represent about 10% of the total land area. Under the approved land use plan built-up and settlement area will cover 15% of the total area while agricultural will be maximized with 67.19%. The remaining 17.68 will be devoted for forest and conservation.
Davao City is typhoon-free. The city enjoys a weather that remains balmy all year round. It is characterized by a uniform distribution of rainfall, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. It has no pronounced wet or dry season. Weather predictability makes it highly conducive to agricultural production. Temperature ranges from 20 to 32 degrees Celsius and average rainfall is up to 2,000 mm yearly.
Infrastructure
The presence of basic infrastructure within the city such as airport, seaports, roads, bridges, telecommunications, condominiums, malls and first class hotels has sustained the economic growth in the last 10 years. Due to the city’s unprecedented growth, a clamor for higher capacity infrastructures resulted to a number of modernization projects now ongoing to meet the demands of the new millennium.
The Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao International Airport) is the busiest airport in Mindanao. Expansion and modernization began in 1998. Today, the new DIA (opened in December 2003) has begun accommodating wider-bodied jets such as the Boeing 747.
Construction of more roads and bridges are also underway. The construction of the City’s third major road - the Buhangin underpass was completed in the 1st quarter of 2003. A Traffic Management and Computerization Scheme was also implemented. Davao City is ranked no. 5 among cities in Asia with better traffic flow based on vehicles per kilometer of city road.
Davao City has 2 government international seaports in (the Sasa Wharf and the Sta. Ana Wharf) and 9 privately owned ports. The City Government is currently in the process of taking over the management of the seaports to modernize facilities, such as, 3 big modern Quayside Crane and expand capacity. In addition, the city has a fish port called the Toril international Fish Port Complex to accommodate small and large-scale fishing activities as well as provide among others cold-storage facilities.
Communication links within the key business areas are adequate. With the deregulation and privatization policies of the Philippine government, the number of telecommunications player is projected to increase as well as offer affordable telecommunications services to subscribers/clienteles.
Accessibility
Davao City is very accessible and is the gateway to the BIMP-EAGA. It has regular air, sea, and land linkages to major points in the country. It is one (1) hour and 40 minutes away from Manila (the country’s capital) by plane and only 30 minutes away from Cebu City. It has daily flights to Singapore - serviced by SilkAir, twice weekly flights to Manado, Indonesia, and chartered 3-4 times a week flight to Seoul. The city can also be accessed from Zamboanga City while Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao is linked to the city by the scenic Davao-Bukidnon Highway.
Government
Unique to the local government set-up of the city is the designation of a deputy mayor by the city mayor. Although an appointive official only, the deputy mayor serves as a direct link to the city mayor especially for people living outside the city proper. The deputy mayor also serves as the city mayor's representative in community events. The functions of the position is considered as complementary to the functions of the city vice-mayor, given the large territorial jurisdiction of the city.
The city is politically subdivided into 184 barangays.
The current mayor of Davao City is Rodrigo Duterte, a former government prosecutor and congressman. He is assisted by city vice-mayor Sara Duterte, his daughter.
The City Government of Davao has now proposing of two more Congressional Districts.
Government Officials
- Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte
- Vice Mayor Sara Z. Duterte
- Rep. Prospero Nograles (1st District)
- Rep. Vincent Garcia (2nd District)
- Rep. Isidro Ungab (3rd District)
Security and Civil Defense
The city government has invested millions of pesos to ensure the security of people living and working in Davao City. Aside from the usual forces of the Philippine National Police, a special military task force has been formed to insulate the city from terrorist attacks and other forms of criminality. The Task Force Davao, as it is named, is affiliated with the Philippine Army and is headed by an army colonel.
The city government also maintains a 24-hour emergency response system patterned that after the 911 in Canada and the United States. People can dial the 911 number to report emergencies and criminal incidents.
A curfew is also observed in the city. All business establishments, in particular bars and discos, are mandated by a city ordinance to close at 2:00 AM. Also, motorcycle drivers with no helmets and motorists with defective lights are not allowed to drive or enter the city. Regular checkpoints in key parts of Davao City and in the city boundaries are conducted 24 hours to ensure the strict implementation of traffic rules.
The use of fireworks and other similar pyrotechnics, as well as smoking, is strictly prohibited in the city. Violators are made to pay hefty fines; perform community service; render jail time; or a combination of the three. Littering is also prohibited.
Foreign relations
The influx of foreign visitors and the presence of expatriates and migrants in the city have prompted the governments of Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and the United States to open consular offices in the city.
The US Embassy in the Philippines opened a virtual consulate wherein inquiries on visa issuances, foreign relations concerns and travel to the United States can be made in the Internet by e-mail and chat. The virtual consulate website [1] is maintained in coordination with Ateneo de Davao University.
Demographics
Cebuano is the most widely spoken language in the city, while the national language based on Tagalog comes a distant second. A hybrid of Bisaya and Tagalog, with their respective infusions from Spanish and English, has become common especially among the younger generation. This fusion though is not generally held acceptable in any formal level. English is the medium of instruction in schools and is widely understood and spoken especially in the business community.
The most dominant group is the Roman Catholic at 83.83%, other Christian groups comprise 15% and the remaining 1.17% belongs to other non-Christian faiths (Islam, Buddhism, etc).
Finance
Currently, there are around 60 banks (excluding branches), 22 financing companies, and 9 lending firms operating in the city. These can handle financial/monetary transactions from the most basic to the most complicated.
Citibank Savings & Citifinancial which are foreign subsidiaries of Citigroup, operate in the city while 3 other international banks, Maybank of Malaysia, HSBC of UK, and Chinatrust of the Republic of China have recently opened their doors to the Davao community.
Automated teller machines (ATM) in the city are hooked up to international card networks such as Visa ELECTRON, VISA, MasterCard, Cirrus and Maestro. On the other hand, major business establishments in the city honor local and international credit cards issued by VISA, MasterCard, JCB, Diners Club and American Express.
Most Banks are located in C.M Recto Ave., Second to it is Tomas Monteverde Street.
Health and Education
Health
The average life expectancy of Davaoeños is 70 for females and 65 for males. There are about 31 hospitals with a total of 1,963 beds in Davao City. Very affordable medical services are made available to poor residents through the Davao Medical Center, which has the most hospitals beds at 600.
On the other hand, hospitals such as the Davao Doctors Hospital, San Pedro Hospital, Brokenshire Memorial Hospital, Ricardo Limso Medical Center, and Davao Medical Center are training hospitals that also offer specialized medical care services. Davao Regional Hospital in neighboring Tagum City, also offers the same quality specialized physician training and health services.
Psychiatric hospitals, psychotherapy clinics and counselling centers are also found in the city, directed and manned by internationally-trained counselors, psychologists, psychometricians and psychiatrists.
In Davao City, there are currently six large tertiary hospitals: Davao Doctors Hospital, San Pedro Hospital, Brokenshire Memorial Hospital, Davao Medical School Foundation and Hospital, Ricardo Limso Medical Center, and Davao Medical Center.
Education
The government provides free education at the primary (grade school) and secondary (high school) levels. Government scholars from all over the island enjoy free college education in state-run universities such as the University of the Philippines and the University of SouthEastern Philippines. The literacy rate of the country is 93.9%. Davao City on the other hand has a higher literacy rate at 98.05%.
The city has contributed much to the country’s ever increasing pool of masters and doctorate degree holders helping the Philippines gain the distinction of having one of the highest numbers of Masters in Business Administration (MBA) graduates in the world.
The city is considered the Center for Learning and Education in Mindanao Island. Currently, it has 374 elementary schools, 65 secondary schools, and 46 colleges and universities. These are some of the known colleges and universities in Davao.
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
- Ateneo de Davao University
- University of the Immaculate Conception
- University of Mindanao
- University of the Philippines (Mindanao Campus)
- University of South Eastern Philippines
- AMA Computer University
- Halls of Life Foursquare Bible College
- Holy Cross of Davao College
- Brokenshire College
- Jose Maria College
- Assumption College of Davao
- Davao Doctors College
- San Pedro College
- Davao Medical School
- Holy Child School of Davao
- John Paul II College of Davao
- Rizal Memorial College
- St. Peters College
- Philippine Womens College
- Philippine Nikkei-Jin Kai International School
- Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku
- STI College-Davao
Major Shopping Centers
- Chimes Mall
- NCCC mall of Davao
- SM City Davao
- Gaisano Mall of Davao
- Victoria Plaza Mall
- Gaisano South Citi Mall
- NCCC Mall (Main)
Major Entertainment Areas
- The Venue
- Damosa Gateway Park
- Matina Town Square
- Wheels & More Drive
- Rizal Promenade
- Paseo de Roxas
- C5
Media
Aside from the 24 national daily newspapers available, Davao City also has 20 local newspapers, 15 broadcast TV stations, 15 AM-band radio stations, and 25 FM-band radio stations. These numbers reflect the extent of press freedom being enjoyed by the print and broadcast media as well as provide wide range of choice for residents and visitors alike.
Tourist areas
| Name | A Brief Description |
|---|---|
| Battle Memorial | A historical marker of the longest-fought battle between the troops of the American forces and of the Japanese Imperial Army which took place in Mintal, Tugbok District. (Mintal Elementary School) |
| Camp Domingo Leonor | Quarters of the Spanish and later American soldiers in the 1920s. (San Pedro St.) |
| City Hall of Davao | The former municipal building constructed in 1926. (San Pedro St.) |
| Chemas By the Sea | Located along the Samal Islands facing Davao City, Chemas is about an hour and a half boat ride from the city proper. A popular destination, especially among the younger crowds of Davao, Chemas is a wonderful escape with white sand beaches and the amenities of a private resort. |
| Davao Museum | Houses artifacts of Davao's indigenous tribes and photographs of the city's historic events and history of its pioneering families. (Insular Village I, Lanang) |
| Davao Historical Society Museum | Features the historical and indigenous collections of the Davao Historical Society (Magsaysay Park) |
| Eden Nature Park | A very popular mountain resort located some 40 min away from the city center. It is situated 3000 ft above sea level, giving it a cool and moderate climate. It is 95% man made with pine trees dotting the landscape. It covers 40 hectares worth of developed land. |
| Fort of Datu Bago | Site of the bastion of the Muslim hero Datu Bago who lorded over the Tagloc River, the old name of Davao River. (Junction of Washington St. and Quimpo Blvd.) |
| Furukawa Plantation | The abaca plantation in Daliao which was acquired from the Bagobos as a result of the Otha Public Land Act in 1903. (Toril) |
| Japanese Museum | The museum features historical accounts of the Japanese community residing in Davao before and during the war including their tools which they used in the abaca plantations, currencies, publications, among others. (Calinan) |
| Japanese Peace Memorial Shrine | During "Obon," Japan's version of All Souls' Day held in August, Japanese war veterans and their kin take a pilgrimage to visit this memorial shrine. (Mintal) |
| Japanese Tunnel | A restaurant with a free entry to a tunnel that the Japanese created in the time of the Japanese Revolution. |
| Lon Wa Buddhist Temple | The biggest Buddhist temple in Mindanao is set in environment of candle trees and bamboo with an imposing statue of the Buddha and his life depicted in wood carving. (R. Cabaguio Ave.) |
| Memorial to a Brave Son | This memorial marker was built in recognition of the gallantry of Armando Generoso, who died in the very site of the bridge while defending it from the Japanese invaders during World War ll. (Gov. Generoso Bridge) |
| Malagos Garden Resort | Waling-Waling] forest in the world. |
| Mindanao Taoist Temple | Houses the holy icons of the Taoist religion. (J.P. Cabaguio Ave.) |
| Mintal Historical Marker | A memorial to Col. Yamada who defended Mintal during the war. It is also the site of the visit of McArthur, Stillwel and Eichelberger. (Mintal) |
| Monument of Peace & Unity | Unveiled during the celebration of the Philippine Centennial in 1998, the monument depicts the peaceful relationship of the migrant and indigenous inhabitants of Davao in the last 100 years. (San Pedro St.) |
| Mosques | Islam is also one of the major religions in the city with several places of worships found in Bankerohan, Quezon Blvd., Panacan, Quimpo Blvd., among others. |
| Old Japanese Houses | The site of old Japanese homes, warehouses and abaca processing and drying plants before and during World War II. (Mintal, Tugbok District & Toril District) |
| Osmeña Park | Formerly known as the Plaza, this was the site of the settlement of the early Davaoeños. (San Pedro St.) |
| Ottha Kyosaburu Memorial Shrine | A memorial obelisk built in honor of Otha Kyosaburu who invoked the Public Land Act No. 926 of 1903. (Mintal Elementary School) |
| Uyanguren Landing Site | The landing site of Don Jose Oyanguren y Cruz of Guipuzcoa, Spain, the Spanish conqueror who later became the Governor of Davao. (Rodriguez Park, Quezon Blvd.) |
| San Pedro Cathedral | One of the oldest churches in Mindanao, the original structure of the church was built in 1847 in honor of St. Peter, the city's patron saint. The old altar is preserved at the right wing of the cathedral. (San Pedro St.). It is the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Davao. |
| Shrine of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague | A local mecca of the city's Roman Catholic devotees. (Shrine Hill, Matina) |
| St. Mary of Perpetual Rosary | A shrine built in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary which features series of steps which leads to the main chapel. (Buhangin District) |
| Talomo Beach | Sunken warships during the Second World War can be found just 200 meters from the shore. (Talomo District) |
| Pearl Farm Beach Resort |  |
| Philippine Eagle Center | Home to the Philippines' national bird. The Philippine Eagle (previously named Monkey Eating Eagle), is believed to be the largest eagle in the World (although the Harpy Eagle also claims this title). The center is a captive-breeding facility designed to help increase the eagle's number, thereby avoiding extinction. It is located in Malagos, a 45 min drive from the city center. Aside from being a temporary home for the eagles, it also hosts other animals that are native to Davao's dwindling forest. |
| Paradise Island and Beach Resort | A very popular white sand beach resort located in Samal Island. It is a 5 min boat ride away from its drop off point at Lanang. Aside from its unspoiled waters, it also has a zoo as an added attraction. By putting sand in the water, the color pink will be visible. |
| Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Obrero | Popularly known as the Chinese Parish in Davao. Its unique architectural structure can easily be seen with Google Earth. Also, it's interior is unique. The ground floor is a chapel. The upper floor is the church interior. |
Sister Cities
There are 6 sister cities in Davao as designated in Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
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